New Ulm weekly review., 1887-09-14
Jennie M 'GraM,s VIII.

ithaca, N z Speciaf
There is great disappointment here
over the decision OF thesupreme court
nullifying the will Of Mrs Jennie
Nc Graw Fiske, by the terms OF which
the sum Of 81, 500. 900 was bequeath.
ed to Cornell university. This feeling
IS due partly to the fact that there is
q great local pride in the university
and q strong desire to have the insti-
tuition enriched, and partly to the
dislike which is felt for Prof. Fiske,
the WidoWer, who will now come into
possession ofthe greater part Of his
Wlfe,s estate. Ithaca never took
kindly to Fiske, and when he married
the rich Jennie Nc Graw, an heiress
whose wealth even from infancy had
been fabulous. it disliked him even
more.
Fiske was a professor in the univer
slty without means. Jennie McGraw
was 9 widow OF mature years. The
daughter Of a man who had become
suddenly rich, she was also heir to
several other fortunes left by relatives
near and remote. As a girl Miss Nc
Graw was a conspicuous figure in
Ithaca, and many a young man and
an old bachelor sought her hand
IN vain. Latter on in life she travelled
great deal and was seen here only
at long intervals. When of middle
age her health failed and she went
abroad. Prof. Fiske had paid her
some attention here, but no one sus-
pected any attachment on her part,
so that the announcement of their
marriage in Europe in 1881 came like
thunder-clap to everybody here. 1t
was unanimously decided by the vii
iage gossips that Fiske was a fortune
hunter, and this opinion was not
weakened in the least when,
on the death OF the heiress a few
months after the ceremony, it trans
pired that he had signed an ante
.nuptial contract relinquishing all
claims to her property and agreeing,
II she died tlrst, as she expected to do,
to content himself with the provision
which she should make for HIM in her
will. This will give Ithaca and the
university people much satisfaction.
After various bequests to relatives
and friends and the gift OF 100000
IN cash and all her personal effects o
her husband, it provided that all the
residue OF her property, estimated at
~, 500, 900, and including a new cas-
tie never occupied by her, standing on
the east hill near the university,
should go to that institution forever.
The remains OF the dead heiress were
brought back to Ithaca by the be.
reaved professor and were given cere-
monlus burial. A few days later the
town was startled by the announce
ment that Prof. Fiske had begun a
contest OF his wife's will on the ground
that Cornell university already held
property in excess of the limit fixed
by state law. The case appeared to
be a strong one, but this only in
creased the local bitterness toward
the professor. Cornell was indeed
rich. Only by the most careful fgur-
ing and doctorinp of known facts
could the shrewdest lawyers make any
pretense OF fshowing that the legal linn
it as to it's holdings had NOT yet been
past. Even, this showing could not
stand close analysis. It is pos
sible that if the question OF the char
ter prohibition had been raised earlier
some other bequests might have been
cut Off. The university has $6,OOO,-
900 worth Of real estate and the mon
ey gifts received before Mrs. Fiske's
will was made aggregated more than
$2,OOO,O0O. The case was fought
long and earnestly. The university
won in the lower courts, but in the su.
preme court the contestant has tri-
umphed-triumphed over the univer-
slty, over Ithaca and over his dead
wife.
4 Fiske's victory is anotable one, and
great wealth comes to him with al
most as beWildering suddenness as it
came to Jennie McGraw's father. He
was country merchant near there,
and, as his lungs were weak, his physi-
clan advised him to go into the pine
forests Of the northwest. He did so,
was benefited in health, and at length
saw an opportunity to make money
by buying timber land. His purchas-
es were judicious, and. big
uoou coming alOng, ne cleared
up several millions without an
effort. Now the great McGraw for
tune passes almost intact into the
hands OF man who ten years ago
was not even acquainted with the
family. The professor does not figure
in the Cornell faculty now.
Utica, N. Y, Aug. 2O.--The general
term of the supreme court, sitting at
Utica, this aftern oon handed down q
decision in the Fiske- -McGraw case,
holding that Cornell university at the
date of the death OF Jennie McGraw-
Fiske had reached the limit Of it's
charter and was not entitled to take
or hold any property or funds given
it by her will; and proceedings are re-
to surrogate with directions to
make a distribution OF her property
and funds remaining in the hands Of
an executor, together with any ad-
vances and payments heret ofore made
by him to Cornell university to ap-
pellants according to their rights as
they shall appear, with costs to ap-
DeIIantS navabla ont Of the funds ~